Professional Ethics of Officers Responsible for Security and Public Order in the Light of Empirical Research

The values and patterns of behavior of officers of the pre-war State Police find their reference in today’s rules of professional ethics for both policemen and officers in charge of public security and order. It is not without significance for today’s Police that the duty of an officer of the State Police to take control, both in the service and in private life, with the commandments that confirmed him in need to help those in need. Appealing to the values that are the foundation of the service is combined with the knowledge of the basic terms used in ethics. Determining whether the values raised in today’s service are not alien to police officers justifies the scientific exploration of the problem area in the title of the study. The article presents partial results of a survey carried out at the Police Academy in Szczytno on a group of policemen studying or undertaking vocational training, which refer to the issue discussed. Their goal was to determine, among others knowledge of the principles of professional ethics in force in the Police and the sources of their knowledge about these principles. In addition, the article attempts to diagnose standards that Polish policemen are guided by, among others by indicating the state of their knowledge in terms of attitudes and values that they should follow in their daily service.